Cave art and untouched beaches abound in Los Haitises

One of the Dominican Republic’s most important protected areas is the “Parque Nacional Los Haitises.” Reaching the park is quite easy since access is possible either from the coastal village of “Sabana de La Mar” or from the city of Samaná, both on the country’s northeast region.

Various tour operators offer day tours to the park, where visitors will be able to visit some of the park’s impressive caves most of them situated along the Bay of San Lorenzo, and meters away from beautiful unspoiled beaches or outstanding mangrove-lined channels.

Three particular caves are special attractions to the visiting tourist. The “La Arena,” “La Linea,” and San Francisco caves offer visitors interesting examples of cave art. Most are just meters away from beautiful unspoiled beaches or outstanding mangrove-lined channels.

The “La Arena” (The Sand) cave is situated next to a beautiful beach. Some of its chambers are decorated with pre-Hispanic drawings. Perhaps the most impressive of all these drawings are the drawings of two masks, found at the mouth of the cave.

The “La Linea” cave is particularly interesting. In order to reach the cave the visitor must hop on a local boat and glide through mangrove-lined crystal-clear channels that will take everyone to the spectacular cave.

Some one thousand paintings, made by the island’s original inhabitants, are found in this particular cave. Some of the drawings depict birds, sharks, gods, and many other native figures.

The “San Francisco” cave is one of the largest in the region, and is reachable only by boat. Its three entrances are surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. Inside the visitor will surely marvel at the beautiful pre-Hispanic drawings.